Washington State Football 2012 Evals: WR Brett Bartolone

Nov. 23, 2012; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars wide receiver Brett Bartolone (19) tries to get by Washington Huskies linebacker John Timu (10) during the second half at Martin Stadium. The Cougars would go on to beat the Huskies by a final score of 31-28 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Stats: 53 catch, 435 yards, 4 tds

What he accomplished in 2012: Brett Bartolone burst onto the scene mid-season after working his way into the lineup with hard work. It was his 9 catch, 87 yard, 1 td performance against Oregon that really kick-started the freshman’s notoriety in the offense and he continued throughout the season to be one of the most consistent receivers the Cougs had to offer.

His 6 catch, 44 yard, 2 touchdown performance against Cal was a game in which he showed the toughness of a Wes Welker, as he got crushed again and again but continued to hold onto the football. On the year he only averaged just over 8 yards per catch, but he seemed to turn more big plays later in the season as the quarterbacks got more comfortable and used him more in intermediate routes as opposed to the safety dump off routes that he was running early in the season.

What I expect in 2013: When Wilson left before the UCLA game, it really hampered Bartolone’s effectiveness in the middle of the field. He was still active, but safeties did not stay over the top as much in the final 3 or 4 games of the season and seemed to key on making zones smaller. The Cougs have loaded back up with Dominique Williams, Gabe Marks and Vince Mayle on the outside, and add Rickey Galvin and Robert Lewis to the mix on the inside. With at least a few other weapons available, Bartolone will go unnoticed by defenses on a play to play basis much of this season.

That’s good news for Coug fans. Also good news for Coug fans is that I expect him to be 5-10 lbs bulked up, a step faster and even harder to take down. Like last season Bartolone will be your typical dependable target over the middle on a lot of settling routes between the linebackers. Unlike last season however, with the right matchups I can see him running more wheel routes and some quick, skinny posts to get just beyond the backers, while a Lewis or Galvin comes across the middle and the two outside receivers occupy the safeties.

With all the big play weapons the Cougars will continue to have, I don’t expect Brett to get much above the 50 to 60 catch mark. But that’s still a very productive number and I do expect his yardage to go up to around the 600 yard mark, which is a 150 yard bonus to last years stats.